Johnson
Johnson was given to 34 boys in 2025, #3,405 among boys’ names; 7,043 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 4,430 Americans named Johnson and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (63% of everyone recorded); the median is 32 years old and half are between 19 and 45.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Johnson by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Johnson mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Johnson is “a male given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the sense “son of John” (literally).
Also “a patrilineal surname transferred from the given name. The second most common surname in the United States.”
A patronymic surname from John + -son, literally “son of John”.
In the U.S. the name Johnson has been adopted by numerous European immigrant families originally named Johansson, Johnsson, Johansen, Jonsson, etc.
Doublet of Johansson, Johansen, Jansen, and Hansen.
/ˈd͡ʒɑnsən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Johnson?
#3,405 among boys’ names, 2025
Johnson fell from #1,941 in 2015 to #3,405 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 39.1 to 19.9 per million.
111 babies in 2000, the peak
Johnson peaked in 2000, when 111 boys were given it, #1,214 among boys’ names. The 34 births of 2025 are 31% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 34 | #3,405 | 0.02 |
| 2024 | 32 | #3,557 | 0.02 |
| 2023 | 48 | #2,713 | 0.03 |
| 2022 | 49 | #2,689 | 0.03 |
| 2021 | 46 | #2,752 | 0.03 |
| 2020 | 62 | #2,221 | 0.04 |
| 2019 | 59 | #2,322 | 0.03 |
| 2018 | 55 | #2,401 | 0.03 |
| 2017 | 61 | #2,203 | 0.03 |
| 2016 | 72 | #2,001 | 0.04 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 75 | #1,941 | 0.04 |
| 2014 | 61 | #2,217 | 0.03 |
| 2013 | 62 | #2,149 | 0.03 |
| 2012 | 64 | #2,113 | 0.03 |
| 2011 | 72 | #1,938 | 0.04 |
| 2010 | 60 | #2,196 | 0.03 |
| 2009 | 85 | #1,778 | 0.04 |
| 2008 | 71 | #1,994 | 0.03 |
| 2007 | 95 | #1,629 | 0.05 |
| 2006 | 94 | #1,568 | 0.05 |
| 2005 | 78 | #1,714 | 0.04 |
| 2004 | 87 | #1,533 | 0.04 |
| 2003 | 97 | #1,383 | 0.05 |
| 2002 | 79 | #1,561 | 0.04 |
| 2001 | 82 | #1,486 | 0.04 |
| 2000 | 111 | #1,214 | 0.06 |
| 1999 | 78 | #1,471 | 0.04 |
| 1998 | 65 | #1,605 | 0.03 |
| 1997 | 85 | #1,327 | 0.05 |
| 1996 | 102 | #1,156 | 0.05 |
| 1995 | 93 | #1,200 | 0.05 |
| 1994 | 87 | #1,245 | 0.05 |
| 1993 | 106 | #1,085 | 0.05 |
| 1992 | 87 | #1,198 | 0.04 |
| 1991 | 92 | #1,146 | 0.05 |
| 1990 | 89 | #1,148 | 0.04 |
| 1989 | 98 | #1,046 | 0.05 |
| 1988 | 91 | #1,033 | 0.05 |
| 1987 | 99 | #948 | 0.05 |
| 1986 | 89 | #975 | 0.05 |
| 1985 | 82 | #1,007 | 0.04 |
| 1984 | 68 | #1,090 | 0.04 |
| 1983 | 85 | #960 | 0.05 |
| 1982 | 92 | #940 | 0.05 |
| 1981 | 63 | #1,160 | 0.04 |
| 1980 | 55 | #1,249 | 0.03 |
| 1979 | 36 | #1,612 | 0.02 |
| 1978 | 30 | #1,774 | 0.02 |
| 1977 | 21 | #2,241 | 0.01 |
| 1976 | 35 | #1,559 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 25 | #1,914 | 0.02 |
| 1974 | 32 | #1,563 | 0.02 |
| 1973 | 18 | #2,268 | 0.01 |
| 1972 | 30 | #1,583 | 0.02 |
| 1971 | 22 | #1,952 | 0.01 |
| 1970 | 19 | #2,093 | 0.01 |
| 1969 | 29 | #1,510 | 0.02 |
| 1968 | 31 | #1,410 | 0.02 |
| 1967 | 29 | #1,424 | 0.02 |
| 1966 | 31 | #1,385 | 0.02 |
| 1965 | 37 | #1,261 | 0.02 |
| 1964 | 43 | #1,180 | 0.02 |
| 1963 | 41 | #1,218 | 0.02 |
| 1962 | 31 | #1,409 | 0.01 |
| 1961 | 42 | #1,227 | 0.02 |
| 1960 | 38 | #1,278 | 0.02 |
| 1959 | 29 | #1,479 | 0.01 |
| 1958 | 27 | #1,519 | 0.01 |
| 1957 | 41 | #1,227 | 0.02 |
| 1956 | 26 | #1,553 | 0.01 |
| 1955 | 31 | #1,385 | 0.02 |
| 1954 | 41 | #1,176 | 0.02 |
| 1953 | 40 | #1,176 | 0.02 |
| 1952 | 45 | #1,086 | 0.02 |
| 1951 | 39 | #1,159 | 0.02 |
| 1950 | 46 | #1,043 | 0.03 |
| 1949 | 45 | #1,054 | 0.03 |
| 1948 | 60 | #881 | 0.03 |
| 1947 | 51 | #1,003 | 0.03 |
| 1946 | 40 | #1,106 | 0.02 |
| 1945 | 47 | #947 | 0.03 |
| 1944 | 55 | #856 | 0.04 |
| 1943 | 51 | #936 | 0.04 |
| 1942 | 54 | #905 | 0.04 |
| 1941 | 37 | #1,079 | 0.03 |
| 1940 | 32 | #1,196 | 0.03 |
| 1939 | 37 | #1,063 | 0.03 |
| 1938 | 44 | #955 | 0.04 |
| 1937 | 37 | #1,064 | 0.03 |
| 1936 | 37 | #1,059 | 0.04 |
| 1935 | 39 | #1,031 | 0.04 |
| 1934 | 40 | #1,033 | 0.04 |
| 1933 | 38 | #1,062 | 0.04 |
| 1932 | 54 | #870 | 0.05 |
| 1931 | 33 | #1,206 | 0.03 |
| 1930 | 52 | #932 | 0.05 |
| 1929 | 58 | #874 | 0.05 |
| 1928 | 66 | #810 | 0.06 |
| 1927 | 57 | #903 | 0.05 |
| 1926 | 61 | #846 | 0.05 |
| 1925 | 57 | #894 | 0.05 |
| 1924 | 64 | #862 | 0.06 |
| 1923 | 63 | #855 | 0.06 |
| 1922 | 52 | #984 | 0.05 |
| 1921 | 85 | #712 | 0.08 |
| 1920 | 69 | #809 | 0.06 |
| 1919 | 77 | #724 | 0.08 |
| 1918 | 79 | #716 | 0.08 |
| 1917 | 54 | #867 | 0.06 |
| 1916 | 70 | #718 | 0.08 |
| 1915 | 74 | #677 | 0.09 |
| 1914 | 52 | #729 | 0.08 |
| 1913 | 32 | #865 | 0.06 |
| 1912 | 42 | #656 | 0.10 |
| 1911 | 18 | #775 | 0.08 |
| 1910 | 24 | #592 | 0.12 |
| 1909 | 24 | #539 | 0.15 |
| 1908 | 17 | #644 | 0.11 |
| 1907 | 16 | #649 | 0.11 |
| 1906 | 25 | #449 | 0.19 |
| 1905 | 38 | #327 | 0.29 |
| 1904 | 20 | #483 | 0.16 |
| 1903 | 14 | #604 | 0.12 |
| 1902 | 13 | #627 | 0.11 |
| 1901 | 18 | #459 | 0.17 |
| 1900 | 36 | #370 | 0.24 |
| 1899 | 22 | #399 | 0.21 |
| 1898 | 10 | #720 | 0.08 |
| 1897 | 11 | #666 | 0.10 |
| 1896 | 20 | #450 | 0.17 |
| 1895 | 13 | #589 | 0.11 |
| 1894 | 6 | #1,018 | 0.05 |
| 1893 | 13 | #556 | 0.12 |
| 1892 | 20 | #432 | 0.16 |
| 1891 | 24 | #353 | 0.24 |
| 1890 | 16 | #471 | 0.14 |
| 1889 | 13 | #536 | 0.12 |
| 1888 | 18 | #455 | 0.15 |
| 1887 | 11 | #566 | 0.11 |
| 1886 | 11 | #586 | 0.10 |
| 1885 | 13 | #534 | 0.12 |
| 1884 | 13 | #532 | 0.11 |
| 1883 | 12 | #542 | 0.11 |
| 1882 | 11 | #591 | 0.10 |
| 1881 | 11 | #546 | 0.11 |
| 1880 | 13 | #512 | 0.12 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Johnson a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Johnson has been given almost only to boys: 22 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Johnson: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Johnson, and how old are they?
4,430 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 63% of the 7,043 Americans ever recorded as Johnson. The median Johnson alive today is 32 years old; half are between 19 and 45.
The 2020 Census counted 7,851 people named Johnson (569 women and girls, 7,282 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 4,427 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1.8 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 155 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 491 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 430 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 1,360 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,280 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 711 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Johnson born?
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 7 | #2,088 | 1.4× |
| Texas | 6 | #2,413 | 0.6× |
Where Johnson is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Johnson is most over-represented in California: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Johnson with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 7,059 babies since 1880, Johnson is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 34 of their 34 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Johnson
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Johnson and names like it
- Compare Johnson and JonsonBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2000sJohnson peaked in 2000.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Johnson since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Johnson: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2000The year the most babies were named Johnson.
- The names of the MillennialsMost people named Johnson alive today were born 1981-1996.
- Names starting with JMost given first.